The Legion of Mary is objecting to a new HQ office scheme for Grangegorman, Dublin 7 by US multi-national, Workday due to privacy invasion concerns for vulnerable women residing at a nearby 'safe haven'.
In plans lodged with Dublin City Council in September, leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources, Workday is seeking a 10 year planning permission for its new EMEA headquarters here that will give the firm the capacity to increase its workforce here to 3,500.
Workday already employs over 1,800 here and the scheme is to include two office blocks with both blocks ranging from eight to 12 storeys in height at the Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) at Grangegorman at Dublin 7.
However, both the President of the Legion of Mary here, Declan Lawlor and the President of the Regina Coeli Legion of Mary, Ms Paula Kelly have both lodged objections with the Council against the office scheme.
The Legion of Mary operates the Regina Coeli Hostel, Morning Star Avenue, North Brunswick Street on lands adjacent to the Workday scheme. The hostel can cater for up to 32 homeless women at any time and is always at full capacity.
In his objection against the Workday office scheme, Mr Lawlor has told the Council that "unfortunately, development of this site cannot be welcomed in its current proposed format".
Mr Lawlor states that the issue is not the building of a development "but the actual scale of the building at this location and its proximity to our boundary".
He said that "the proposed development will overlook the Regina Coeli Women’s Hostel for vulnerable women to a significant degree and we would be extremely concerned at our privacy being invaded and the possibility of residents appearing on social media platforms".
Mr Lawlor contends that "the scale and height of the building will have an oppressive impact upon already at risk and vulnerable woman who rely on the Regina Coeli hostel as their only safe haven".
In the objection, Mr Lawlor also contends that "the scale of building from the vantage point of the Regina Coeli accommodation obliterates the remaining sky available to its residents".
In her objection, Ms Kelly states that the Regina Coeli Hostel for homeless women is run and staffed entirely by Legion of Mary volunteers and has been in existence since 1930.
Ms Kelly states that the scale, size and density of the proposed development "will completely overshadow and dominate the hostel buildings, the skyline and visual view from within the hostel grounds".
Ms Kelly contends that the office blocks will also overlook both hotel residents and live –in volunteers and the development "will therefore represent an unacceptable invasion and intrusion of the privacy of our residents, many of whom are extremely vulnerable and seeking shelter and a safe haven in our hostel".
Ms Kelly also states that the proposed development will cast the grounds and accommodation into permanent shade "and we are extremely concerned about the impact this will have on the mental health of our residents, some of whom are extremely vulnerable and at risk".
In a planning report lodged with the application, Senior Planning at Tom Phillips + Associates, Orla O’Callaghan states that the proposed high quality development will regenerate a currently under-utilised and partially vacant site at a key gateway to the SDZ adjacent to Broadstone.
A spokesman for Workday said on Tuesday: "Following public engagement and information sessions, Workday submitted a comprehensive planning application, including a sunlight and daylight assessment, and ensured that the submitted application adhered fully to the Grangegorman planning scheme for the relevant area."
A decision is due on the application next month.
Reporting by Gordon Deegan
